I’m with You
For a long time I’ve debated whether to address this subject publicly, but I realize now it’s unhelpful to be silent. As a Muslim-American, the growing Islamophobia across the nation has been especially unsettling. It is transparent to many that this tension is being cynically peddled by those seeking personal gain. However, some people perceive these ideas as license to act violently towards Muslim-Americans. Arson, vandalism, and assaults in Coachella, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay fuel increasing fear within Muslim-American communities. Many Muslim-Americans are scared and afraid to speak out.
And I’m scared too. But my family and friends give me strength. When my wife (who is non-Muslim) vociferously denounces intolerance that she encounters online, she tells me, I’m with You. When my friend relates how her family escaped communist China to come to Florida as refugees, but her new classmates called her a commie gook, she tells me, I’m with You. When my father calls to make sure I came home safely from work, he tells me, I’m with You.
You may not know many Muslim-Americans. We number only 1% of the U.S. population. I grew up in Milwaukee attending a small mosque with a handful of Bengali and Pakistani families. I remember pizza parties after prayers, playing football in the parking lot, and cramming to memorize my lessons before the teachers found out I didn’t study. However, I do not remember ever feeling afraid for my safety.
The atmosphere now is different. Many young Muslim-Americans feel unwelcome and isolated. How can they overcome bigotry? How can they feel safe? How will they find their place in America? I don’t know how to answer these questions.
To my friends at the Islamic Society in Milwaukee, Masjid Ibrahim in Coachella, Al Aqsa Islamic Society in Philadelphia, the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay, or anywhere people are feeling alone and vulnerable: I can’t tell you Islamophobia will go away. But I can tell you that I’m with you, my family and friends are with you, and we are not going away.
